Monday, August 14, 2006

How Do You Do This?

I have no idea how stay-home parents blog.

Bump had appointments with the doctor and the dentist today, so I took the day off to stay home with Lumpyhead. I don't know why it feels different than a Saturday or Sunday, but it does. Today seems as though it should be on a different schedule than a weekend day - a more regular, standard schedule - even though I'm not sure what that schedule entails. I sense I should be filling in for Bump today, keeping to the activities he and Lumpyhead normally do, instead of just being Mom. Rather than doing that, though, I'm doing what I think Bump would be doing, which is probably nothing close to what he normally does.

I've had a great time, so far. I'll probably be curled up under the table by the end of the day, with Lumpyhead wailing in the baby kennel, but I'm managing okay for now. Lumpyhead and I started the day with a walk to the bakery at the bottom of the hill. It's a great little spot: sparkling clean with modern decor, bountiful offerings of beautiful cakes and flaky pastries, sandwiches and a refrigerated wall of bottled juices. It's really everything you could want in a yuppie coffee bar.

No one there speaks English, which makes a visit even more exciting. Written signage is minimal, but my Spanish is so bad it probably doesn't matter. Asking about the choices is pretty pointless, as I wouldn't understand the answer anyway. The staff smiles patiently at me while I discuss with Lumpyhead which pastry we'll buy and I try to figure out what's in the turnover-thingies by the stuff oozing out the sides. I choose between the one filled with red stuff (raspberry?) or the one filled with yellow stuff (maybe it's apple?), only to get it home, take a bite, and realize it's creme-filled. The pastries are always damn good though, so you can't really go wrong, no matter what color ooze you pick. The surprise factor makes it more fun.

I played with Lumpyhead and made him lunch, and he's been asleep since 12:30. I'm sure he'll wake up any minute now and I'll wonder where the time went (it went to blogging, Dumbass) and wish I'd gotten _____ done instead while he was napping.

In the past few weeks my daily routine of baby time, commute, work, commute, baby time, semi-vegetative state, sleep has dissolved. August on the Hill is an odd period, workdays are shorter and much less hectic. Many offices are empty. There's no traffic. My personal erratic schedule of vacation days and plane trips and visits to grandparents makes things feel even stranger.

I've noticed that my brain has turned to mush recently.

I don't know if it's the irregular programming, the pregnancy, or spending all day with Lumpyhead that's causing it, but I feel dumb as a fencepost.

I can't imagine how the rest of you stay-home parents manage to write regular entries. There are a million things I could be doing instead of banging out some stupid words, but I felt the need to give a little shout-out to those of you who do this all the time, without your brains turning to mush. Go you.

But stop rolling your eyes at my dumbitude.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ha! We blog at naptime (or when the kids are watching tv) and then we straighten the house up really fast right before you guys come home from work.

I don't think it's just me.

Melissa said...

Awww, we love you, too.

Today at naptime I prepared dinner and was kicking myself for not writing and reading blogs. So, you know, we all have our priorities.

Melissa said...

By which I meant (in case I was not clear) that the blogging is the priority. And I wasted my precious time making dinner. Rookie mistake. Won't let it happen again.

Violet said...

I blog during naptime and sometimes even when it itsn't. Then my partner gets home from work and I tell him we're having frozen fish fillets for dinner.

Jill said...

August is the month for mush-for-brains. Don't worry, September will snap you right back in line.

I am also hats off to the SAHMs who manage to keep it fresh. And Bravo to you for getting out of the house this morning.

Anonymous said...

I'm surprised you didn't spend Lumpyhead's nap time fixing corndogs!

daddy in a strange land said...

I think the key here is a very, very, very flexible definition of "regular" posting. :)

Em said...

Wow, Sarah, gss actually straightens up the house! Seriously, my entries are never going to be pretty or carefully edited. If it didn't work like a shopping list it wouldn't get done. Plus I don't get both kids to nap either.

mo-wo said...

I found I was really dumb in pregnancy #2.. whoa last 4 weeks?.. look out for me I was a disaster

and blog? rock baby I handed typing 4 AM need I say more